Pais/Lake Como trip
 

I'm starting to plan a 1 week trip for September. Our last Europe trip (my first) was to Rome and Venice. This time I really want to see Paris. My husband wants some time to really relax, and Lake Como looks beautiful and relaxing. How practical is it to visit these two places in one week? How would one travel from Lake Como to Paris? We don't want to rent a car.

Not very practical given that you only have a week. I'm sure you'll get those who say you should spend the whole week in Paris.

Lake Como is indeed beautiful, but because of the travel time involved I would suggest you look into Annecy in the French Alps.

Just a couple of hours train ride via Grenoble and you are on Lake Annecy and then can choose to stay out in one of the surrounding villages or in the old town where all the flower decked canals are. You wouldn't need a car at all (ours remained in the city garage for the 3 days we were there. We want to go back and rent an apartment for a week! It's like a clean Venice minus the loud Italians (no offense intended) with Alps in the background. We were there in September and the weather was lovely - in the 80's.

Another option is Lake Geneva using the fast & convenient TGV train, perhaps staying in Montreux or Vevey in Switzerland or in Yverdon, if the French side of the lake is preferred.

Hi Clae - For flights Paris CGD-Milan (Malpensa) for Como check out Easyjet:

www.easyjet.com

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Hi C,

>How practical is it to visit these two places in one week?

Very UN, and it won't be relaxing getting between the two.

It is quite possible to relax in Paris.

Plan one thing for each morning and one thing for the afternoon.

Spend the rest of the time wandering about and soaking up the flavor.

Paris has lots of pleasant parks.

See:
Paris Superthread
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34519236

100 Great Things to Do in Paris
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...mp;tid=1277898

Degas’s Paris Walks
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34712768

Kerouac’s Ethnic Walk
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=35095155

Jacquemart-Andre’ Museum http://tinyurl.com/p9pol

Enjoy your visit to Paris.

((I))

Yes, Ira, we know you think Paris is the center of the universe but i agree with Steve...it can be done and if you are FLEXIBLE it isn't all that unpractical, either.

We actually did it by rail and enjoyed the 8-hour trip..don't rule it out.

Hi D,

I'm sure that it is doable, and that the 8 hr on the train is well worth it.

However, I was concentrating on "a 1 week trip....I really want to see Paris.....My husband wants some time to really relax".

((I))
PS, Paris is not the center of the Universe. Madison, GA is.

Thanks for the suggestion to visit Lake Annecy. It looks and sounds beautiful.

It looks like we could take an overnight train from Milan to Paris, which might not be bad. I'll give my husband both options and see what he likes.

As far as the practicality of seeing two locations in one week - It is not unpractical.

As far as geeting from one to the other - Fly. The intraeurope regional airlines are not too expensive. In addition to Easy jet, Ryan, etc. try the website whichbudget.com. There is an airport in Bergamo that gives some addition options. You might look at Lugano as well.

If you have just a week, then a vacation with two locations will be sort of high speed. It is hard to mix high speed with relaxing without the stay at one location being too short. Do anything you can to get one or two more days.

If you are going somewhere in addition to Paris, then there is no reason not to go to Lake Como.

You can definitely do it Clareita. I did Como and Paris at the tail end of a long trip a couple of years ago. IMO, the ease of getting from Lake Como to Malpensa Airport depends on where you stay on Lake Como. I stayed in the town of Como, which had a nice comfy express bus to Malpensa leaving from the town square (sorry, forgot how often it runs and how long it takes). No idea how hard it would be to get to Malpensa from Bellagio or the other lake towns. From Malpensa, of course, you could take any number of the discount european airlines.

Alternatively, an overnight train ride sounds like a nice way to go as well. Saving yourself the ride in from the airport is an underrated part of the European Rail system.

In any case, I found Como very relaxing and beautiful. I scheduled two nights in Como to unwind after hectic wedding activities in Tuscany, and then six nights in Paris. I'd do it the same way again.